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Zurich Herald, 1941-02-13, Page 2Saving Olntari" Natural 1' esources G, C. Tamer Ontario Federation of Anglers (NO. 29) GAME BIRDS FEWER In last week's column I told how a treaty was signed between the United States and Canada for the protection of migratory birds. For awhile after this became law naturalists thought that the birds were amply protected. Spring shooting had been stopped, close seasons were lengthened and bag limits lowered, The song birds and insectivorous birds were pro- tected at all times and 1 believe they have increased somewhat with this protetion. The game birds, however, did not seem to respond, the decline in their num- bers continuing. This decline was due to a num- ber of causes. Many more hunt- ers were in the marshes each fall. The development of the motor car enabled city dwellers to reach many areas that were formerly almost sanctuaries. Last year, in the United States, over 1,000,- 000 hunters brought duck stamps to place on their licenses as re- quired by law. This great army of hunters are taking more than the annual increase each year. A Number of Causes Another cause for the decline came from the spread of agri- culture across the prairies. Many nesting grounds were destroyed by the plough or by the tramp- ling of cattle. Drainage schemes, throughout both the Canadian and American west, helped cut down the breeding grounds. About 1930 a series of drought years across the prairies helped to dry -up many lakes and sloughs where duck formerly bred in great numbers. The birds had few places left where they could rear their young undisturbed. In- creased numbers of hunters, spread of agriculture and drought were the three great causes of the decline in numbers of the ducks. Some Ducks Near Extinction The situation in the early thir- ties became acute and some kind of ducks were on the verge of ex- tinction. Again the biologists stepped in and helped draw up a program that it was hoped would save the birds. The seasons were shortened, baiting and live decoys were forbidden and., most import- ant of all, grat areas were set aside as refuges on the migration routes, Sanctuaries were estab- lished in the winter homes of the birds. There is still some doubt as to the effectiveness of these nieaures which are still in opera- tion, and it may be that an en- tirely closed season for a period of years will be needed if the remnants of the ducks are to be saved. Caves Swallow Plane Factories Swiss Mountains House War industry Safe From Air Raid- ers The existence at aircraft factor- ies in Switzerland capable of dis- appearing into the sides of tame teens during bombing raids and rreappearing after danger passes was revealed last week in an. inter- view by Antoine Gazda, Swiss in- ventor. Mr, Gazda, who is a director of the Oerlikon Machine -Tool works of Switzerland, maker of the Oer- likon rapid-fire cannon which has been installed in many Europpean (planes, said the disappearing fac- tories were in the region of Lake Lucerne. Several have been built in the last two years for the P]I- Stus Swiss Aircraft Co,, which ale building both the Messersehmitt 109 and the French Monne pursuit ander license for theSwiss Air Payne. ROLL BACT(WARDS ON RAILS The raid -proof factories, Mr. Gaz- said, consisted of sheds 260 by $2 feet built to roll backward end forward on six iron rails. In time of raids, he explained, the iods rolled into caverns like reli- ned tunnels excavated in moun- tain sides. The fronts of the sheds facing. autward Were armor -plated to pro- tect them from bontlbs, Mr. Gazda *elated. The ehede are moved by lest electric engine installer] inside. the Swiss inventor holds patents 4* the system as well as for air- eirastt armaments, including an tutomatie wing -tip gun which fires alt -constantly widening circular pat - teen of mnac:bine-gun bullets in cone, that to cover an area, onthe sides Of a pursuit plane carrytag fixed Wing guns tor offenofve purposes, OoT. >✓. Messner, president of the Aero Clurr of Switzerland, aided hi the eonstruotlmn of the raid- kroof factories. Model of Plaza, American Side, of New Rainbow 1oridge Members of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and the Niagara Frontier State Park Commission are studying a one -ton replica of the formal neoclassic structures which will sweep in two curves across the plaza approach at the American terminal of the new Rainbow Bridge. The plaster model of the plaza, built to scale to reproduce archi- tecture and sculpture planned for the American approach, was fash- ioned in the sculpture workshop of the New York City WPA Project. T H E W A R W E E K—Commentary on Current Events ATTLE OF BRITAIN REACHING A CLIMAX "There are many indications that, within a very short whiler the enemy will make a tre- mendous effort to- destroy the British Commonwealth by e series of smashing blows of unprecedented s e v e r i t y." -- P r i m e Minister Mackenzie King. "When the hour comes, we will strike decisively . . whoever believes they will be able to help England must know that In any case every chip with or without convoy that comes to their help will be torpedoed."—Relchsfuehrer Adolf Hitler. In a speech last week celebrat- ing the eighth anniversary of his rise to power, Reiehsfuehrer Adolf H1tIer assured the German people that every possiibility of American intervention to save Britain had been foreseen and that its frustra- tion was certain. "There will be eietoey within the year," he prom- ised. - Sea or Alr Power? How Germany expected to win tine eight -month-old Battle of Bri- tain was still a matter for .specu- laion. Did klitler hope to turn the trick by air power? or sea power? His anniversary speech appeared to stress German U-boats as the prime weapon of Nazi warfare; the air force as secondary. In any event, neutral military ex- perts last week were virtually* all agreed that both would be used in attempting to deliver a knockout 'blow to England, In the very near future. Invasion appeared inevit- able, either with or without pre- liminary "softening -up," unless Hit- ler itler made a last-minute decision that the task was too big for him, . British Are Ready A gloomy picture, that. "Time" magazine, February 3, was a bit more optimistic: "No British Army even in the first world war has. even been so big (4,000,000 men tat- tler arms) ; none has ever had so much practice for suck a bitter defensive job. The British expect that the Germans may succeed in establishing a few beach -heads. If they do, the defence counts on (1) the Naty to cut off water -borne supply; (2) the R. A. P. to resist airborne supply and reinforce. meats as well as attacks from their air armies totalling 15,000 planes; (3) the Army to crush the invad- ers on land." Diversion To The South The Canadian expert on military strategy, W. R. Plewman, wrote last week that Germany was hav- ing to divert so many first-line planes to the southern front to Italy's aid, that the Iate winter or early spring attack prepared against Britain could not help but be weakened appreciably, or post- poned for some time. To a great extent, the timing of the Nazi invasion attempt would have to be linked with the course of events in the Mediterraneans and in the Balkans. Last week Tait; ter could be seen trying to brim - beat France into allowing hixn troop passage through the French LIFE'S LIKE THAT sgP By Fred Neher "He only gave us one straw with our ice-cream soda t t" colony of Tunisia, so that he could reach Bengazi before the British and prevent their gaining control of the whole of eastern Africa, To Bulgaria, Germany was applying the screws afresh, demanding a right -of -Way through that: country to seize Salonika and outflank the Creeks. 'Ereer Barrel Polka' War's Biggest Hit "South of the Border" Runs A Close Second in England's Song.Hit Parade Biggest song hit of this war is the "Beer Barrel Polka." Canadian soldiers. sang It when they debarked in England. Aus- tralian and New Zealand soldiers sang it when they filed down the gangplank in the Middle East. Eng, lisp soldiers sang it as they trudg ' ed through the mud of France. And shelter -dwellers in London. sing it while the bombs whistle down about them. Running a close second on Eng- land's "hit parade" is the American' bast -seller "South of the Border," which, incidentally, was written by England's best known song - writing team, Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr, It has sold 'nearly a half -million copies, Third place probably goes to "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Good-BYe," with which Gracie Fields, the English comedienne, sang her way into the hearts of the British army, navy and air force. Some 450,000 copies have been sold. NOTHING LIKE TIPPERARY Carr, working alone, wrote the song that is in fourth place, 'Somewhere In France," whose popularity waned after the Britisb retreat to Dunkirk. But none of the songs of this war approa.ehes the sales of Eng- land's hits of the Great W'trar. For instance, "It's a Long Way to Tip-, perary," sold 5,000,000 copies, "Roses of Picardy," 8,000,000 anti "Keep the Home Fires Burning," more than 1,000,000 copies.. Songs symiboliziug the universal hope for better days ahead are' finding a ready market. One pub- lisher commissioned Irving Berlin to write a song expressing this thought. Berlin produced "It'e a Lovely Day Tomorrow," which sold 100,000 copies. Others that have sold well in- clude "It's a Hap Hap Happy Day" and "We'll Go Smiling Along." Poet's Licence Years ago at a dinner, Robert W. Service heard a story -of the Yukon which gave him an idea for a poem. In a bank ledger lie saw a name which struck him as suitable for his principal char- acter, so he wrote about "Sam McGee from Tennessee," who was • "always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell," and told in verse how, at his cremation, Sam admitted that he was comfortably waxm at last. Through this poen the or- iginal Sam McGee became fa- mous in the Yukon, although he was mining copper instead of gold, and came from Ontario in- stead of Tennessee. He died re- cently, but was not cremated. 250,000 Viewed Quints in 1940 Dr. A. R. Defoe, physician to the Dionne quintuplets, announc- ed .that during 1940 approximate- ly 250,000 persons visited the Da - foe Hospital at Callander to see the five little girls, now six years old. Dr. Dafoe said that the number of American -visitors declined from previous years but that the number of Canadian . visitors showed an increase. Of the total last year, 25 per cent of the visi- tors Were from the United States and 75 per cent. were from Can- ada. Ordinarily, he said, the per- centages were the opposite, Men, Wolves Fight. For ur Reindeer Unceasing Contest is Urged In Northland Between Man. And Beast of Pray For Arc- tic Animals For years men and wolves have been fighting an Arctic battle in the course of a Gov- ernment scheme to provide Es- kimos with reindeer herds and the fight is still going on. Everett Hogan, assistant fore- man at the Federal Government reindeer reserve near Aklavik in the Northwest Territories for the past three years, said recently the wolves constantly trailed the Government herd en its trek from Alaska. Patiently, day and night, they watched for oppor- tunities to strike down a deer. WATCH NEVER RELAXES Wolves are the main reason for the 24-hour watch kept on the reindeer by the four Canadian employes and their Eskimo and Lapp helpers. The reindeer drive -from Alaska started in 1929 and was completed in 1935, when the round -up showed 2,960 on the Canadian reserve. In 1940 there were 6,635 animals. Since 1929 the deer have never been out of sight of their guar- dians, even when huddled together in screaming blizzards at 50 be- low zero. On such nights, said Mr. Hogan, the wolves would choose to strike. There now are three herds, the main group on the eastern • channel of the Mackenzie River, No. 1 native herd• on the Ander- son River, and No. 2 herd near Horton River. On each herd the same increasing watch is kept, Some Troops Wear Cor Pink Garters Canada's hockey -playing sol- diers in the Canadian Corps leagues in England hold up their stockings with swanky pink gar- ters that once belonged on wo- men's girdles. Oscar Pearson of Toronto is responsible. He runs the leagues for the troops on behalf of the SHROVE TUESDAY Feb. 25th eeiesew ie Pancake's Best Friend. 49“ Y.M.C.A. and found hockey stocking garters could not be bought in England. So Oscar obtained dozens. of women's girdles, cut off the gar- ter straps and sewed them • on cloth belts, The players say the "girdle garter" is a "nifty." Modern `iK auntleroy' Can Keep Long Curls Ivan I3arzela Heiderich can keep his long golden curls, The 23 -year-old Marietta, Ok- la., farmer who feared he would lose his Iong-cherished tresses to the United States army, was re- jected by an induction board, which decided the greater useful- ness lay in his present occupa. tion.., "When I was a little boy," he said, explaining his devotion to his. shoulder -length hair, "I had beautiful curls and my mother wouldn't cut them," THIS CURIOUS WORLD Sy Wiliiam Ferguson • WH I L.E. eeWel/Iv/A/ ' lJo/ YH E. LARVAE SH-IJNIK TC) ONE-HALF SiZE 13EC)RlE ATTAINING THE. ADULT FORNy. 2; tVIERICANS CHEWED ABOUT 66,,000,000 POUNDS OF Cf-li€WINe C J iN 1937. .1936 RY NEA SERVICE, INC. J HY co PARACHUTES 1-fAVE A HOZ.E IN THE CEN ANSWER; Without a hole in the canopy of a parachute, the com- pressed air would be forced to escape from the edges, thereby causing the passenger to swing back and forth like a pendulum. NEXT: Where do carrots get their name? WINSTON CHURCHILL IV Gallipoli and Disaster Outbecak of the first world war in 101.4 found Churchill ready for the finish fight with the new and powerful Germany navy. But the war brought, too, the first great diisaeter in Church' 'ell's career --- the' GlalliT,ali campaign. 0e;gie tot of the 1915.Gallipoli cainpaign, Churchill unjustly was made the scapegoat when it ended in ghastly fYnilure, due largely to incam. i::tent generals and disunion at home. Churchill was forced:to resign his office. But the irrepressible Chtarchill could. not long be kept down. He bounded back into public office in 1017 as minister of munitions. In 1013 he was elevated to the position of seere- tary of State for war. The post-war collapse of the CoaJ 'Lion government of Daviel Lloyd George swept Churchill from office when be was defeated for reelection by a, Prohibitionist. After two defeats Churchill found himself inclined to his old party —• a Tory again,